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New Exhibits Examines John Muir's Influence Over National Parks

The John Muir National Historic Site in Martinez, CA, now features a new exhibit in one of the upstairs bedrooms of John Muir’s Victorian home. The exhibit focuses on John Muir’s influence on the creation of several national park units in the western United States and on the National Park Service’s mission to continue Muir’s beliefs today.

The exhibit is the first in a three part series; each series will run for six months and discuss two or three parks each. Part I examines Muir’s role in Yosemite, Kings Canyon, and Muir Woods. The exhibit includes photographs and original items such as an original copy ofThe Century Illustrated Monthly Magazinefrom 1890, in which Muir wrote his famed article “The Treasures of Yosemite.”

The stately home on Alhambra Avenue, which Muir lived in from 1890 to 1914, serves as a jumping-off point to discuss Muir’s legacy of preservation. Ranger-led tours of the house and property discuss Muir as a fruit rancher, explorer, activist, writer, and family man. The new exhibit, which has been installed in the Study Annex on the second floor, is part of a rotating series of exhibits that change every six months.

Exhibit Dates* Exhibit Theme*

March 2013-Sept 2013Father of the National Park Service, Part I: California

Sept 2013-March 2014Father of the National Park Service, Part II: Arizona

March 2014-Sept 2014Father of the National Park Service, Part III:Alaska